I’m Charlie Awbery, also sometimes called “Rin’dzin Pamo” which was a Tibetan Buddhist name given to me by my teachers in 1998. I don’t actively call myself “Rin’dzin” nowadays. I made some podcasts and posts that are public and use that name.
I am a British born meditator and practitioner of contemporary Vajrayana living in the US. I offer one on one meditation coaching for people who want to learn and practice Vajrayana. I facilitate small Vajrayana practice groups and courses in kindness, responsibility, and effective relationships.
I first learned to meditate in India as a young adult when I was volunteering on community development projects.
Back in the UK, my meditation developed through the 1990s. I studied and practiced traditional Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism and took Tantric ordination in 2002.
My primary practice was always silent sitting meditation alongside Vajrayana methods such as yidam, yogic song, and chöd. Non-monastic Vajrayana emphasizes spiritual integration into ordinary, everyday life, but I have also spent time in lengthy solitary retreats. Since 2006 my core practices, other than meditation, were Dzogchen Longdé psycho-physical yogas. I love physical exercises and I’ve also trained in some different martial arts.
After twenty-five years in traditional Vajrayana, I moved on to build a a community of contemporary Vajrayana practice with my friend and co-founder Jared Janes. I remain indebted to Ngak’chang Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen for their teaching over the years.
Aside from my Buddhist practice, I have worked in international development in Africa, India and the Middle East. I trained in Gestalt psychotherapy and have worked in mental health services and international human rights organizations.
I studied international diplomacy, anthropology and economics as a post-graduate at the School of Oriental and African Studies and the London School of Economics. My research at SOAS focused on land rights in Bhutan. My LSE thesis was a comparative appraisal of high-tech industrial development statistics and strategy in China and India. Since then I have been learning more STEM subjects and programming languages. I write about tech at charlieawbery.com
I continue to practice Vajrayana, particularly meditation based in the Dzogchen traditions. I am physically active, a long-distance hiker, and train in strength, martial arts, and yogic exercises.
My spouse, David Chapman, also writes about Buddhism.
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